Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 September 1898 — IN GENERAL. [ARTICLE]

IN GENERAL.

Colonel James A. Sexton was elected commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. New Westminster, B. C., was aimost literally wiped off the map, by fire. The loss to property is estimated at $2,500,000. Several lives were lost.

A special committee has vindicated Dr. J. D. Barbee, book agent of the publishing house of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, on charges of immorality. W. Treadford, who was sent to the Alaskan gold fields by the London Mining Journal, has returned to Vancouver, B. C., and makes the statement that all the recent rich strikes have been made on the American side.

The promoters of the movement for bringing about the annexation of Jamaica to the United States, having failed to secure popular support because t)f the color prejudice, are now agitating for admission into the Canadian dominion. Their efforts in this direction promise to prove more successful.

While the exports from tin?' United States to the United Kingdom have increased 12 per cent, during the past year, the imports from the United Kingdom have fallen off 35 per cent., the figures of the bureau of statistics being: Imports from the United Kingdom, $109,138,3d5: exports to the United States, $540,589,152. x

Admiral Walker, president of the Nicaragua Canal Commission, has returned to Washington and is again devoting his attention to the collation and compilation of the material which will form the substance of the report of the commission. The admiral says the commission has now about two hundred and fifty men at work along the lino of the proposed canal aad they will stay there throughout the rainy season. They nre making borings and ascertaining the character of the soil at every point where it is proposed to locate dams, locks or other heavy masonry structures. In addition to this, the field parties arc taking accurate measurements of the rainfall and the flow of the various streams lying within the limits of the canal concession. This information was particularly desired by the commission owing to the fact that up to this point all the calculations made have been based upon the conditions as existing in the dry season, the time when Nicaragua has always been visited by commissions. Admiral Walker is confident that the commsision will be able to report to Congress at the approaching session, and while he says the necessary data has not been obtained to accurately determine the cost of the canal, he feels confident that the project will be shown to be entirely practicable and worthy of execution.

Bradstreet’s says: “Heat and holidays have imparted an irregular appearance to speculative and general distributive trade this u-eek, and therefore to* bank clearing returns, more particularly at the East, but with the arrival of cooler temperatures some improvement is reported at those markets. Generally speaking, favorable basic features already noted still continue'most in evidence, and the attitude of quiet confidence in future good trade is unabating. Conditions in many leading industries, but particularly in iron and steel and its various products, are of continued and in some cases growing strength. The’general level of prices of staples is the highest reached for five years past; railway earnings, favored by the enlarged movement of wheat to market, are showing larger gains than have been recently reported, a good export demand for agricultural and manufactured products is reported, failures remain at a minimum and reports of poor trade are conspicuous by their infrequency. Less favorable crop reports from abroad and good export inquiry are reflected in(a rather steadier tone in udieat and in advanced quotations for ocean freights. Corn continues to experience a weather market, but prospects of yield are still regarded as favorable. Unabated activity is reported at Chicago and dry goods shipments cannot be made fast enough. Railroads are reported buying two to three months ahead of time. Business is active at Kansas City, Omaha. Cleveland, Louisville and throughout the entire Northwest.”